Madrid's Odriozola joins Bayern Munich on short-term loan

Right-back Alvaro Odriozola will spend the remainder of the 2019-20 season with Bayern Munich after joining on loan from Real Madrid.

Liam Blackburn

22 January, 2020 17:33 IST

Alvaro Odriozola in action for Real Madrid. - Getty Images

Liam Blackburn

22 January, 2020 17:33 IST

Bayern Munich has bolstered its defensive options by signing Alvaro Odriozola on loan from Real Madrid for the remainder of the season.

The 24-year-old was a target of head coach Hansi Flick, who himself is under contract until the end of the season, and will give the Bundesliga champion more defensive flexibility as it seeks to defend its crown.

Odriozola, capped four times by Spain, has only made four LaLiga appearances for Madrid this term, with the most recent of those coming in October.

While he is behind Dani Carvajal in the Madrid pecking order for right-backs, Odriozola could feature regularly for Bayern given its injury problems in defence.

His arrival may lead to Benjamin Pavard reverting inside to centre-back, where Bayern is short of options with Javi Martinez, Lucas Hernandez and Niklas Sule all sidelined.

In a statement on Bayern's website, chief executive Karl Heinz-Rummenigge said: "Following internal discussions, we decided to follow the wishes of our head coach Hansi Flick in strengthening the defence and decided to go for Alvaro Odriozola.

"We are delighted about the signing and thank Real Madrid for the friendly and cooperative talks."

Former Real Sociedad defender Odriozola joined Los Blancos in 2018 for a reported €40million and he featured in 14 LaLiga games in his debut term in the capital.

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